On Thursday the 1st of February Lord Bragg moved that the House of Lords takes note of the contribution of the arts to the economy and society. As part of this debate both Lord Bragg and Lord Howarth referred to our research, led by Professor Daisy Fancourt. 

In particular, reference was made to our Scoping Review for the World Health Organization (WHO), which identified over 3,500 studies showing the health benefits of the arts.  

“If ever utterly conclusive proof were required of the benefits of the arts in our society, here it is.” – Lord Bragg 

Our report synthesised the global evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing, with a specific focus on the WHO European Region. A spectrum of research designs were included, drawing on theories from diverse disciplines. The review demonstrated that the arts can impact both the management and treatment of illness and prevention and wider health promotion: 

  1. Management and treatment – our findings showed how the arts can:

    • Help people experiencing mental illness;  
    • Support care for people with acute conditions;  
    • Help to support people with neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders; 
    • Assist with the management of noncommunicable diseases; and 
    • Support end-of-life care.
  2. Prevention and promotion – our findings showed how the arts can:

    • Affect the social determinants of health; 
    • Support child development; 
    • Encourage health-promoting behaviours; 
    • Help to prevent ill health; and 
    • Support caregiving. 

Additionally, in preparation for the debate the House of Lords Library highlighted our ambitious, large-scale clinical trial and implementation science study SHAPER. In this study we are testing and scaling three arts projects within NHS settings, in partnership with King’s College London and Breathe Arts Health Research. 

SHAPER moves beyond just assessing impact of the arts on health and looks at how programmes with proven impact at a local level in the short term can become national programmes commissioned by the health sector long term. Working with three arts organisations to first embed projects into NHS hospitals, clinics and in the community, the research team will then assess whether and how they might improve the health and wellbeing of greater numbers of patients. 

Here at UCL we are working on one of the arts projects, Breathe Arts Health Research’s ‘Melodies for Mums’ service. This service brings together new mothers – referred by GPs, midwives, and other health professionals – in singing and music sessions with their babies, aiming to reduce symptoms of postnatal depression. This builds on our previous Music and Motherhood study with the Royal College of Music, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the sessions in reducing symptoms of postnatal depression faster than usual care or social groups. 

We are pleased to see this acknowledgement of the growing evidence base for the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing. You can watch back a recording of the debate here and read the accompanying briefing notes prepared by the House of Lords Library.